About this book

Book Summary

Whenever the USA has experienced hard times it has turned to the Exodus story for direction, inspiration and hope. The Pilgrims quoted his story. Franklin and Jefferson proposed he appear on the U.S. seal. Washington and Lincoln were called his incarnation. The Statue of Liberty was molded on his image. Martin Luther King invoked him the night before he died. Barack Obama casts his presidency in his image.

As they face another moment of national anxiety - and ask, What is the meaning of America? What are our values? Will we rise again? Moses once more holds the clues and points the way. In his boldest book to date, Bruce Feiler visits the island where the Pilgrims spent their first Sabbath, climbs the bell tower where the Liberty Bell was inscribed with a quote from Moses, retraces the Underground Railroad where Go Down, Moses was the national anthem of slaves, and dons the robe Charlton Heston wore in The Ten Commandments. Meticulously researched and highly readable, America's Prophet is a thrilling, entirely original work of history that will forever change how we view America, faith and the future.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Feiler is a popularizer, and readers interested in a light and cursory treatment of a theme in U.S. history will enjoy it." - Publishers Weekly

"A facile retracing of American history on a Mosaic theme - which is not to say Feiler fans won't love it." - Kirkus Reviews

"Starred Review. Feiler confidently concludes that the major themes of Moses' story continue to shape America and affect the lives of countless Americans, such as Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Fascinating and thought provoking." - Booklist

"This is one of the most original, intelligent and endlessly fascinating books I have read in years: it should become a set book for anyone wanting to know what truly makes America tick." - Simon Winchester

"With a journalist eye and an adventurers spirit, Bruce Feiler brings his prodigious gifts of biblical analysis to a reconsideration of Moses as the essential prophet of the American Experience. This is an accessible and engaging book of indispensable insight." - Tony Horwitz

"What a smart, original, and deeply intriguing reflection on the role Moses played  yes, Moses  U.S. history. America's Prophet is Bruce Feiler at his innovative best: compelling, sweeping and engaging. Highly recommended!" - Douglas Brinkley

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Author Information

Bruce Feiler Author Biography

Photo Credit: Andrew Feiler

Bruce Feiler is the New York Times bestselling author of Walking the Bible, The Council of Dads, Learning to Bow, Looking for Class, and Under the Big Top.

A frequent contributor to NPR's All Things Considered, and contributing editor for Gourmet he writes regularly about American music for The New York Times, The New Yorker, and other publications. He recieved international acclaim for his influential cover story in The New Republic, Gone Country. He also writes the "This Life" column about today's families for the Sunday New York Times.

He is the writer/presenter of the PBS series "Walking the Bible" and "Sacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler" (July 2014).

Bruce was named "Father of the Year" by the National Fatherhood Initiative.

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